Trolley-wheel.



Nmznaz. A Patented mar; la, i901.

J. CALDWELL TROLLEY WHEEL.

lie tion led June 9, 1899 UNITED* STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN CALDWELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHOD ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO J OI-INS. KELLOGG, OF SAME PLACE.

TRO LLEY-WH EEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,382. dated March 19, 1901.

Application filed June 9, 1899- Serial No. 719,867. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.- p

Be it known that I, JOHN CALDWELL, a citizen of' the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Wheels;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in 1o the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to trolley-wheels for electric-railway systems, but has/more particularly reference to the bushing for such I class of wheels.

zof'serve as a bearing for the axle and for supplying lubricant to the axle or shaft of the wheel.

The invention further consists in constructing a trolley-wheel of two outwardly-hanged disks, preferably of steel, with an intervening disk of a material which may possess greater conductivity than the two outer disks and providing such a wheel with the bushing and the lubricant-applying device; and the 3o invention further consists in the general arrangement and combination of the several parts of the wheel, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. 1 .'35 The principal object of the invention is to t provide a trolley or other wheel with a bearing which shall be in a measure indestructible and almost entirely free from friction and in which the lubricant is gradually fed from 4`each end toward the center of the bearing.

Other objects of the invention will be made apparent from the further description of the device.

These objects are attained by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a trolley-wheel; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the bush- 5o ing; and Fig. 4, a transverse sectional View of a modified form of trolley-wheel, showing my invention applied thereto.

In the several views of the drawings, the

vnumeral 1 indicates a trolley-wheel of the ordinary type provided with the usual periphyeral groove for the reception of the trolleywire and with a transverse central screwthreaded bore 2, in which is seated a screwthreaded box or bushing 3. The box or bushing is provided with a cylindrical bore 4, of 6o uniform size, which extends nearly its entire length, leaving at one end a cap 5, whichis provided witha central perforation 6, th rough which projects one end of the axle 7. The other end of the box or bushing is slightly counterbored to form an annular recessor seat 8 for the reception of aitightly-tted cap or collar 9, provided with a central perforation 10, through which projects the other end of the axle. The bore of the box or bushing is pro- 7o vided with a central annular groove or reservoir 11, and on each side of this groove is seated a wire coil 12, the coils of one running reversely to the other, so that the lubricant will be fed from each end of the bearing toward 5 the center into the annular groove. These i/ coils are made of case-hardened steel and form the bearing for the axle and are retained in place by the caps 5 and 9. The box or bushing is secu red and maintained in proper po- 8o sition by screw-threaded clamping-nuts 13.

The parts are assembled inthe following manner, viz: The box or bushing is screwed into the bore 2 until each end thereof is flush with the side edges of the .flanges of the wheel. The nuts are then screwed upon the projecting ends of the box or bushing to securely hold it in proper position. The wire coils are inserted into the bore of the box or bushing and the cap 9 firmly forced in its seat, 9o thus completely confining the coils within said bore.

The coils not only form an efficient and durable bearing, one in which the friction is greatly diminished, but they also form a means for gradually feeding lubricant to the axle, which is supplied through the channel 14.

n the modification shown in Fig. 4 the wheel is composed of two outwardly-flanged roo disks 15, struck up out of sheet-steel, and an intermediate or central disk lb', preferably of a metal having a greater conductivity than the outer disks. The central or intermediate disk is preferably provided or formed with projecting side hu bs 18,which project through central apel'tnres in the outer disks and form the box or bushing for the wheel, being constructed externally and internallj,7 the same as the box or bushing 3. In this construction the clamping-nuts Aserve to hold the sev eral disks or sections of the wheel rrnly tex gether.

It will be obvious that the central disk may be provided with a central aperture to correspond with the apertures in the outer disks, and the box or bushing secured as in the solid Wheel, instead of being formed integral with the box or bushing.

A bush-bearing constructed in accordance with my invention allows of a straight and smooth-running wheel, the reversely-wound coils serving to always maintain the wheel in a true line upon its axle.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a trolley-wheel the combination of a hub, annular bore or chamber therein, and a central annular groove or oil-reservoir therein, of two metallic coils, wound and set in reverse directions in said chamber, and adapted to feed oil or lubricant into the annular groove or reservoir, said chamber having one end closed with a perforated cap integral with said hub, and its opposite end closed with a removable perforated cap, and a channel leading from the exterior of the hub to the interior of the said chamber for feeding oil to the coils, as set forth.

2. The combination with a trolley-wheel consisting of two outwardly-danged metallic disks, and a central hub having a circular flange between said disks and possessing greater conductivity than the said disks, of a box or bushing consisting of an annular bore or chamber in said hub, a central annular groove or oil-reservoir therein, two metallic coils, wound and set in reverse directions, and located Within said bore or chamber, and adapted to feed the oil or lubricant into the annlilar groove or reservoir, said box havingone end closed with a perforated cap, integral with the box, the opposite end being closed with a removable perforated cap, and a channel leading from the exterior to the in terior of the wheel for feeding oil to the coils, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN CALDWELL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT W. BURBANK, AUGUSTA S. MEREWETHER. 

